I’m curious as to what type of devices everyone has in their office to add that cool modern nerd look as you see with many of the guests on TWiT shows. Such as LED lights etc and other nostalgic device replicas etc.
My girlfriend is wanting to get some stuff to make my office look nice for Christmas and I was wanting some good recommendations on LED lights and other things to make it look good.
i was thinking about something like that recently.
But I was more thinking along the lines: do “real human people” have setups like the ones we see on podcasts / youtube?
I once tried to make my desktop PC look like a centerpiece on my desk (back when I lived in my parents basement) and honestly: it was annoying & gaudy after 6 months. My biggest regret is having a cool RGB LEDs with a tempered glass panel case and whatnot. I’m back to having my PC under the desk, with the glass panel facing the wall so I never really have to see it.
I always thought to myself “this is more a set for people” like a TV set, or a movie set. Setup for show. Actors on set. Live on set, etc. Jason Snell’s setup seems like the most “genuine human” setup you’d see in the real world. Even then, he’s a fanatic.
I have LEGO trinkets on a mantle that goes across all 4 walls in my office. I have a nice triple monitor arm so my monitors are floating to reclaim lots of desk space.
I think real people probably buy a really nice desk.
I don’t think I gave a very good answer. I’m eager to see what other people have to say.
I’m not a fan of things that need to be dusted, and clutter on my work surface, but I can make an exception for a small period of time for the holidays. A couple of things that might be enjoyable are:
and for nearby or in a hallway
These links are not the best ones or best prices, just some examples to go by… use the concept and search to find something that appeals more precisely to you.
If you have access to a 3D printer or someone with one, you could print a lightbox with something on it that you would enjoy. Bambu labs has a Lightbox Maker tool, but I can’t link you directly to it or any examples unfortunately, they require an account for that smh https://makerworld.com/en/makerlab but one of our users did make an interesting example:
https://makerworld.com/en/models/1624460-twit-tv-logo
EDIT: I guess you mean she’s looking to get things for your office as Xmas presents, rather than specifically for Xmas decor… oh well.. I’ll leave my post as is anyway 
I’d suggest browsing a site like Etsy for anything that catches your eye. My gf commissioned a really cool neon-style LED sign that depicts Pacman chasing some ghosts via that site. Unfortunately the creator she worked with was based in Ukraine and are no longer taking orders. Plenty of others out there though.
There’s a company out there that disassembles older electronics such as Gameboys and affixes them within a display frame in an exploded view. I’ll see if I can dig up a link if you’re interested.
I’ve also got my eye on an Etsy creator that produces some very stylized posters featuring characters and objects from famous sci-fi franchises. Happy to DM a link as well.
If you need inspo, aside from the LED sign a few quite nerdy random bits I have on display include
I’m not really a fan of the curated “set” that a lot of podcasters seem to employ. Shelves behind them with carefully chosen items that look like a photo out of an Ikea catalog. Yes, it probably makes for a nice looking aesthetic, but it tells me little to nothing about the person. Like mentioned above, Jason Snell has a good one, full of items related to his interests.
I would say (as someone not on camera except for an occasional work call), fill the room with things that make you smile. I work from home, so I’m in my home office for the bulk of the day. I have art and vinyl albums on the walls that always put a smile on my face when I look up at them. I have a bunch of LEGO sets on display, mostly space related (Saturn V, Artemis, Space Shuttle, Mars rover, etc.)…again, stuff I can enjoy looking at day-to-day.
One thing that my son has in his room, that I’ve considered, is a strip of LED lights mounted along the top edge of the walls (circling the entire room). I believe we got the Govee brand. They are adjustable via an app, and you can go from crazy flashing/chasing light shows to mild mood lighting. I would want them for so subtle coloring, not necessarily to have a rainbow of flashing lights zipping around the room, but to each their own. 
I’m not a podcaster, and am very rarely on camera. I don’t need my home office looking like a set.
I made a laser cut analog clock once that automatically set the time off the internet. It used a sliding scale for the time and at midnight reset. It was kind of cool.
I also made a magic 8 ball that had hundreds of 8 ball like responses.
It is also easy to do flashing neon like LED signs now that LED tubes exist (as long as you have a 3D printer).
This was all done using a raspberry pico for the controller - cheap and powerful.